Hand grip for athletic equipment

ABSTRACT

A hand grip for an article of athletic equipment includes a generally cylindrical member open at opposite ends and having an inner diameter corresponding with an outer diameter of the article of athletic equipment. The member is formed of a flexible material and includes bevels at opposite ends and a textured outer surface arranged between the bevels to improve gripping of the member by the user. When arranged on the article of athletic equipment and adjustably positioned to a desired location, the member indicates to the user where the article is to be gripped, thereby teaching users of the article where to properly grip the equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In sports such as lacrosse, golf, field hockey, and ice hockey, game play utilizes athletic equipment including a shaft or stick that is gripped by the user. Execution of proper technique requires that the user's hands be placed at specific locations on the stick so that it becomes an extension of the user's hand and arm. Since game play occurs rapidly, an athlete does not always have time to stop and reference proper hand positions. Accordingly, intuitive hand placement on an article of athletic equipment enables the user to achieve a higher level of skilled play.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

By way of example, a lacrosse stick includes two main parts, namely, a shaft and a head connected with one end of the shaft. The shaft, which is usually a composite or metal alloy, is frequently coated with paint or other finishing material which causes the shaft to become slippery and difficult to grip when wet. To overcome this problem athletes often affix various forms of tape to the shaft. Such tapes may be thin and cloth-like, have a tacky surface or may be textured. Other types of tape are also known. With use, however, the tape quickly becomes worn and needs to be supplemented or replaced.

In addition, athletes tape the shaft to provide intuitive, visual and tactile locations for hand placement. Proper placement of the hands on the shaft provides for the greatest amount of control and allows an athlete to optimize the power and versatility of a shot or pass. In lacrosse play for example, inexperienced players hold the stick by placing the dominant hand near the throat (adjacent to the head) and the non-dominant hand near the end cap of the stick to ensure shooting accuracy, while more experienced players position both hands near the base of the stick to maximize torque and velocity while shooting. Overall, different hand positions on the stick are determined by the maneuver being executed: catching, cradling, reaching, checking, and the like.

In addition to taping the shaft to provide a hand grip or hand position reminder, some athletes tape the shaft to personalize the equipment.

The present invention was developed in order to overcome the drawbacks of prior taping solutions by providing a durable gripping device for placement on the shaft of athletic equipment. The device operates as a hand grip to guard against hand slippage, to provide an intuitive, visual and tactile indicator for hand placement and to personalize the stick or shaft of an article of athletic equipment, such as by including a player number or team name.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a hand grip for athletic equipment that is durable, adjustable, removable, and personalizable and which may also be used as a coaching and teaching tool for athletes.

The hand grip includes a generally cylindrical member open at opposite ends and has an inner diameter corresponding with the outer diameter of the stick or shaft of an article of athletic equipment. When arranged on a stick, the hand grip is adjustably positioned to indicate to the athlete where the stick is to be gripped. As a coaching and teaching tool, a plurality of grips are arranged on the stick to indicate a range of hand positions which are indicative of the execution of various maneuvers. The grips may be numbered or contain other indicia so as to correspond with the hand placement required for the execution of specific maneuvers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hand grip that may be personalized to indicate, for example, an athlete's jersey number or team color or logo.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand grip according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a lacrosse stick having a plurality of hand grips thereon; and

FIG. 3 is a detailed front plan view of the hand grip of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In fast paced sports, such as lacrosse, proper hand placement on an article of athletic equipment is paramount to the proper execution of a maneuver. The present invention relates to a hand grip 2 which is shown in FIG. 1 which can be used to indicate proper hand placement. It includes a generally cylindrical member formed of flexible material such as rubber or synthetic plastic that is open at opposite ends and has an inner diameter D. The hand grip 2 has an outer surface 4 including bevels 6 at opposite ends. Between the bevels, the outer surface is preferably textured to improve gripping of the member by the user.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a lacrosse stick 8 having a shaft 10 and a head 12 connected with one end of the shaft. A pair of hand grips 2 are mounted on the shaft. The shaft has an outer diameter. It will be readily apparent that the grips 2 can be formed in different sizes with different inner diameters D to correspond with different sized shafts. Preferably, a grip is selected which has an inner diameter which corresponds with the outer diameter of the shaft so that the grip can be positioned at a determined location along the shaft. This serves as an indication to the user as to where the shaft is to be gripped for optimum performance.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment for the hand grip 2 in which an indicia such as a number 14 is embedded in or printed on the outer surface of the grip.

The arrangement of a plurality of hand grips 2 on an article of athletic equipment provides an intuitive, visual and tactile reminder to the user for proper hand placement necessary to execute specific maneuvers. As a coaching and teaching tool, the adjustability of the hand grip 2 relative to the shaft is desirable. For example, one aspect of coaching requires that players execute the same maneuver repeatedly over a period of time to develop proficiency in a particular skill set. Situations may arise, however, in which a near instantaneous shift in maneuvers being practiced will occur. Accordingly, the hand grip 2 is moveable and adjustable along the shaft of an article of athletic equipment, thereby providing a coach with a teaching tool that can be quickly adapted to a given situation. The easy movement of the hand grip 2 along the shaft allows for an instantaneous and duplicable response from the athlete in response to new instructions received from a coach. Valuable coaching time is not lost in removing old hand positioning tape and affixing new tape. Once arranged on the athletic equipment, the present invention is a further improvement over prior methods as no other equipment or supplies need to be maintained by the athlete to take advantage of the hand grip's adjustability.

Similarly, a plurality of hand grips 2, when placed on an article of athletic equipment allow a coach to direct game play to multiple skill sets during a single coaching period. For example, when indicia 14 such as numbers are used, the coach identifies each numbered hand grip 2 as correlating to a specific hand position which in turn correlates to a specific, fundamental maneuver. Under the coach's instruction, the user places a plurality of hand grips 2 along the shaft of an article of athletic equipment at positions corresponding to the proper hand placement for execution of specific, fundamental maneuvers.

In drilling situations, the coach calls out the number “1” and the user responds by placing his/her hands at hand grip 2 reference point “1” along the shaft and executes the corresponding maneuver. The coach then calls out the number “2” and the user responds by placing his/her hands at hand grip 2 reference point “2” along the shaft and executes the corresponding maneuver. The process is repeated with the coach calling out a plurality of numbers to which the user responds with proper hand placement. Over time and with repetition, the athlete's body memory intuitively recalls the proper hand placement for the execution of specific maneuvers, thereby increasing his/her skill set. With intuitive body memory, and an analogous skill set, the athlete may remove the plurality of hand grips from the article of athletic equipment and commence game play with only a minimal number of hand grips necessary for gripping or comfort.

Alternatively, the coach may reassign the indicia numbers to represent further hand positions for as yet untaught skill sets. Taking advantage of the adjustability of the hand grips 2, the process of placing a plurality of hand grips 2 on an article of athletic equipment together the coach/user call and response sequence is repeated to develop the new skill set.

While the hand grip has been described with reference to a lacrosse stick, it is equally suitable for use on other pieces of athletic equipment such as a golf club, a baseball bat, a tennis racket or any other article of athletic equipment that is gripped by the user.

While the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand grip, comprising a generally cylindrical member open at opposite ends and having an inner diameter corresponding with an outer diameter of an article of athletic equipment, whereby said member can be arranged on the article of athletic equipment and adjustably positioned to a desired location to indicate to the user where the article is to be gripped.
 2. A hand grip as defined claim 1, wherein an outer surface of said member adjacent to said opposite end portions is beveled.
 3. A hand grip as defined in claim 2, wherein said member outer surface is textured between said bevels to improve gripping of said member by the user.
 4. A hand grip as defined in claim 3, wherein said textured surface contains a decorative pattern.
 5. A hand grip as defined in claim 4, wherein said member is formed of a flexible material.
 6. A method for teaching users of an article of athletic equipment where to properly grip the equipment, comprising the step of: positioning at least one hand grip at a selected location on the athletic equipment article to indicate to the user a location for gripping the article.
 7. A method as defined in claim 6, and further comprising the step of adjusting the hand grip relative to the article to a indicate a different gripping location for the article.
 8. A method as defined in claim 6, and further comprising the step of positioning a second hand grip at a selected location on the article.
 9. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said grip has a textured outer surface and is formed of a flexible material so that the grip is slidable on the article. 